Chapter 31
The Dead Do Not Speak (5)
The Collector raised his index finger.
Fwaaaaaaash—!!!!!
From a speck of dust gathered at his fingertip, a tremendous light burst forth.
“Kh…!!!”
Chester and Sehyun simultaneously shielded their eyes with their elbows.
The rapidly expanding light devoured not only their sight but all of their senses.
Only after a long moment did the deafening noise and blinding light slowly subside.
Chester exhaled with a pale face.
The hand gripping his sword was trembling ever so slightly.
‘…This won’t work.’
That incomprehensible light had scattered all of Chester’s remaining starlight.
And for a brief instant, his entire body had gone numb, paralyzed to the point of not even being able to twitch.
“Urgh…!”
Soon after, excruciating pain swept through his body.
His flesh throbbed as though he had been beaten mercilessly with clubs.
If just the light gathered at the tip of a finger could do this much…
Vooooom—
The Collector was once again condensing light into his palm.
The destructive power of that much light was beyond imagination.
At this rate, they would be crushed before even getting a chance to fight back.
They had to try something—anything.
“Hey, Sehyun, now what are we—huh?”
Chester turned his head to the side and fell silent.
“…Are you smiling?”
In the middle of all this, Sehyun gave a faint grin and pulled a watch from his coat.
Click—
Casually, he twisted the crown of the pocket watch.
Chester gave a helpless chuckle, baffled.
If Sehyun were truly someone without a plan, he would’ve dismissed him as a lunatic.
But no—despite how he often looked like he was spacing out, there was always something strangely reassuring about him.
Hadn’t he solved problems just like this until now?
“Why do you keep checking that watch, anyway?”
“Oh, this?”
Snap—!
Sehyun shut the watch lid.
“I’ve got a plan.”
“…What?”
[1 o’clock: Man-Yeong-Gyeong (Full Shadow Scene)]
Thick shadows rippled from beneath his feet like heat haze—then Sehyun vanished before Chester’s eyes.
Momentarily losing sight of him, Chester rubbed his eyes in shock.
The Collector was just as startled.
“Where are you looking?”
“What?!”
A voice suddenly came from behind. The Collector flinched.
Sehyun had somehow appeared right at his back.
“When did you—?!”
The Collector tried to respond quickly.
But Sehyun was faster, slamming his tomahawk downward.
Clang—!
Yet, shockingly, the axe blade bounced off harmlessly.
“What the…?!”
A faint luminous veil flickered over the Collector’s body.
A photon barrier wrapping his body had deflected the blow.
“This is what it means to wield light.”
Even at his smug reaction, Sehyun didn’t panic—he simply summoned more starlight.
Fine. Then he’d petrify the shield along with him.
Creeeak—
Stone-like petrification began to spread from the axe blade.
“Once is enough. I won’t fall for it twice.”
At that moment, a sphere of light exploded from the Collector’s outstretched hand.
Kwooooooom—!!
The luminous field swallowed the entire space, granting not brightness but utter darkness to Sehyun and Chester.
Light, manifested by the starlight of the succession stone.
Though it was simply an energy source, physical force could be imbued into it, allowing countless applications.
Paralyzing the senses, as before, was just one.
But imprisoning foes in a cage of light so they couldn’t move—it was like borrowing divine authority itself.
“Fallout!!!”
Blinding beams poured endlessly like divine retribution.
Each photon fired like a bullet, piercing through flesh.
“Nam Sehyun!!!”
Chester shouted, but was soon swallowed by the light.
Sssssshhhhhh—!!
Again, the first effect was sensory paralysis.
When perception vanished, silence seemed to engulf the world.
They were being irradiated, bombarded by photons.
‘…It’s over.’
The instant Chester braced for death—
He squeezed his eyes shut, but nothing happened for a while. Cautiously, he opened them.
“…Huh?”
His vision had returned to normal.
Yet strangely, no one was around.
No light, no Collector… not even Sehyun.
“What the hell…?”
On the deck of the darkened ship, Chester tilted his head in confusion.
“…Hm? Where is this…?”
A space of perfect darkness.
The Collector was shaken by the sudden shift.
Only the faint glow in his hand dimly illuminated his surroundings.
He looked utterly alone, as if dropped into the depths of the abyss.
“Strange. I should’ve blocked his trick.”
A crude petrification? That only worked if one let their guard down.
Having absorbed the succession stone, such a thing could never affect him.
Meaning something else had created this situation.
“…No way.”
He recalled the shadows that had wrapped around his feet at the last moment, and scowled.
“Phantom…?!”
This was clearly Phantom’s shadow ability.
She could create a subspace within shadows, freely moving through them—and even envelop entire areas in darkness to rule them like her own domain.
In any place covered by shadow, she was unrivaled.
But such a great power had limits.
‘Only she can enter her own subspace.’
No other starlight-bearing being could follow.
‘But this isn’t her subspace.’
This duplicate of his had starlight—it should’ve been impossible.
The only explanation was that the shadows had been spread like a curtain, trapping him inside.
Just as he himself had once done to Phantom.
“Tch. Trying to imprison me with such a shabby trick?”
He sneered.
A shallow veil of shadow was no more than wet paper before light.
Light always conquered darkness.
“Flash.”
Fwaaaaaash—!
Light burst once more from his hand.
But then—
“…What…!!!”
His face froze.
Despite the flood of light, it spread endlessly, vanishing into the boundless void.
This wasn’t a mere curtain.
Nor any simple subspace.
It was infinite emptiness.
Time, distance—immeasurable.
Only one word fit.
“…The cosmos.”
It was space itself.
The realization struck him with unspeakable terror.
Like being cast utterly alone into an infinite void.
“You look pretty rattled.”
A voice rang out.
Sehyun appeared, calm and collected.
The mastermind behind it all.
“You…!!”
“Pretty cool, huh?”
“What have you done to me?!”
“You know well enough. It’s Phantom’s power.”
Don’t be ridiculous.
This was Phantom’s ability?
“Impossible…!”
“Oh, come on. You’ve been abusing your own absurd powers all along. Why can’t I?”
True—Sehyun had wielded freezing, explosions, petrification.
So many varied abilities.
Until now, the Collector had thought them mere mimicry, much like his own.
But this… this subspace changed everything.
Unlike him—a mere imitator—Sehyun wasn’t copying.
He was creating.
Not imitation. Creation.
The Collector gazed around, disbelief in his eyes.
In the black void, countless stars shone.
At first glance, it looked like a night sky.
But if each of those lights held starlight… the implications were staggering.
One star flared brighter, radiating brilliantly.
Fwoooosh—!!!
“Gah!!”
Like a meteor, it streaked and impaled him in an instant.
“Ugh… This is…!”
A chilling sensation pierced his body.
He looked down at the blade skewering him—eyes widening.
“A… weapon? But why does it hold starlight?!”
It wasn’t just an object.
Like a relic blessed with divine power—
It was itself a star.
“Then… those stars…!!”
His eyes quivered as he looked around.
They weren’t mere decorations of the sky.
“How can this be…!”
Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
Not only the fear of his situation—
But the crushing realization:
‘What was all my struggle for…!’
He had gathered countless soul stones just to forge one star.
Yet here, every shining blade threatening him was the very ideal he had yearned for.
But the awe didn’t last.
“You’ve seen enough. Time to finish this.”
“…What?”
“Let’s end it.”
Snap—!
Sehyun flicked his fingers.
The sound reverberated, shaking the void.
Stars spiraled, orbiting in formation.
Standing at the galaxy’s core, Sehyun declared:
“Meteor Shower.”
Fwooooooooshhhhhh—!!!!!!
An infinite rain of meteors crashed down upon the Collector.
And within that radiant storm, his existence was utterly erased.
Foundation Management Division, Investigation Room.
“Hey, Number 25.”
“……”
Even when Rachel called, he stayed silent.
She finally flicked her hand at the team behind her.
“Take that off.”
His helmet was ripped away.
Disheveled blond hair, a face covered with piercings.
“Chester? Why the hell are you here?”
“……”
He pressed his lips shut, refusing to answer, deliberately looking away.
Then, a sly voice chimed in from the side.
“Hey, isn’t this a little harsh treatment for informants?”
“Shut it, Phantom.”
Rachel scowled at the irritating tone.
What an incomprehensible pair.
One, a notorious outlaw hitman.
The other, the head of a famous fixer group.
Apart from both being out-players, they had no connection.
In fact, they were infamous for being on bad terms.
‘What the hell is going on here…’
When Rachel and her team responded to the report, the ones who met them were these two.
That was shocking enough.
But the crime scene was even worse.
‘Illegal soul stone trafficking… and evidence of them being used as narcotics…’
If exposed, the entire Foundation would’ve been thrown into chaos.
Whispers of such dealings had existed, but never on this scale—never involving so many civilians.
And yet, the ones who reported it were these two.
“Spit it out while I’m being nice. What are you plotting?”
“How many times do I gotta say it? We just stumbled on it.”
Phantom sipped coffee through a straw, legs crossed.
Rachel frowned deeply.
As if someone like Phantom would just “stumble” into such a place.
“You just happened to visit a club basement and find an opium den?”
“Yup. Did a little cleaning while I was at it, too.”
Rachel recalled the blood-drenched corridor.
Not a battle—
A massacre.
Impossible for one person… except perhaps Phantom.
Still, his claim of “just happening by” was nonsense.
She turned her eyes on Chester.
“Chester, you explain.”
“I already told you.”
“That nonsense? You expect me to believe it?”
“Believe what you want. We told you who the culprit was.”
“……”
“Or is it just that you can’t trust us ‘cause we’re out-players?”
Rachel fell silent.
Illegal trafficking, narcotics use, inhumane schemes to inflate starlight for trade—
This case couldn’t simply be ignored.
It had to be investigated thoroughly.
But the problem was the suspect they pointed to.
“…The Collector?”
The Collector.
He had no independent community, but his wealth alone gave him huge social influence.
Though rumors claimed he dealt with fallen families, he was still a respected figure.
And yet they said he was behind this massive crime?
“…Your testimony doesn’t hold water. If anything, the circumstantial evidence points at you two as the culprits.”
“Then do as you please. We’ve said our piece.”
Even with that implied threat, they remained calm.
So unlike their usual selves—especially Chester, who normally avoided conflict with the Foundation.
Rachel’s suspicion only deepened.
‘Different in attitude, but their stories line up perfectly…’
Too smoothly, in fact.
As if rehearsed.
‘Is there some connection I don’t know about…?’
For a fleeting moment, Rachel felt déjà vu.
Something that had always eluded her was brushing her mind.
‘…No. I’m overthinking.’
There was no way he could be involved in this too…
“…Haa.”
Sighing, Rachel pressed her fingers to her temples.
